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Amnesty International Report 2014/15 the State of the World's Human Rights

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Amnesty International Report 2014/15 the State of the World's Human Rights Muhammad Husayn ( known as Abu 1. Libya: Jail sentence of Libyan editor a blow to free expression (MDE Zubaydah ) . Abu Zubaydah’s case 19/010/2014) against Lithuania was pending before the www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE19/010/2014/en/fceae73d- European Court of Human Rights at the bc0e-49e5-8b19-b08f74d4057b/mde190102014en.pdf end of the year . Both Mustafa al- Hawsawi and Abu Zubaydah remained held at Guantánamo Bay. In May, the UN Committee against Torture urged the government to complete LITHUANIA the investigation into Mustafa al-Hawsawi’s alleged rendition in a timely and transparent Republic of Lithuania manner. In the aftermath of the release in Head of state: Dalia Grybauskaitė December of a US Senate report on CIA Head of government: Algirdas Butkevičius secret detention that contained references to “detention site violet”, widely believed to have been located in Lithuania, it was In February, the Prosecutor General opened reported that the Lithuanian authorities were an investigation into allegations that a seeking additional information from the USA Saudi Arabian national had been subjected to determine whether detainees had been to illegal rendition to Lithuania by the US held and tortured in Lithuania. Information CIA with the help of Lithuanian intelligence in the Senate report regarding “detention site officials. A law, which aimed at “protecting violet” conformed with a 2009 Lithuanian minors” against detrimental public parliamentary inquiry that had concluded information, resulted in violations of the that the CIA had established two secret sites right to freedom of expression of lesbian, in Lithuania. gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE COUNTER-TERROR AND SECURITY In May, the Office of the Inspector of In January, the Vilnius Regional Court Journalist Ethics concluded a book of fairy ruled that the Lithuanian Prosecutor tales, which included stories of same-sex General’s refusal to launch a pre-trial relationships, opposed “traditional family investigation into allegations that Saudi values”, as protected by the Law on the Arabian national Mustafa al-Hawsawi had Protection of Minors against the Detrimental been illegally transferred to and detained Effects of Public Information. The book’s in a CIA detention centre at Antaviliai, distribution was stopped. near Vilnius, had been “groundless”. Legal In September, the Office of the Inspector representatives for Mustafa al-Hawsawi of Journalist Ethics found a video promoting had complained that he was tortured and tolerance towards LGBTI people and subjected to enforced disappearance in portraying same-sex families violated the Law Lithuania between 2004 and September on the Protection of Minors. 2006. In February, the Prosecutor General Transgender people continued to be denied opened a pre-trial investigation focusing on access to legal gender recognition because of Mustafa al-Hawsawi’s alleged illegal transfer legislative gaps. Two proposals were pending to Lithuania. before the parliament: one aimed at banning The Prosecutor General had previously legal gender recognition, the other at allowing refused to investigate similar allegations transgender people to seek legal recognition by lawyers for Palestinian Zayn al- Abidin Amnesty International Report 2014/15 235 of their gender under certain compulsory On 4 July, thousands of Albanians conditions, including reassignment surgery. marched into the centre of Skopje, saying “We are not terrorists”. The peaceful demonstration escalated outside the High Court with riot police using excessive force against protesters, including rubber bullets, MACEDONIA tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons. On 6 July, further protests took place. In The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia the predominantly Albanian cities of Tetovo Head of state: Gjorge Ivanov and Gostivar, police used tear gas and stun Head of government: Nikola Gruevski grenades. Six men were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for “participation in a crowd to commit a crime”. Human rights were increasingly curtailed. Relations between the Macedonian and CRIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW ethnic Albanian populations were marred by Impunity continued for war crimes and crimes violent protests. New details emerged about against humanity which occurred during the the rendition of a CIA detainee with the 2001 internal armed conflict. No measures complicity of Macedonia. were taken to locate the bodies of 13 persons still missing after the armed conflict. BACKGROUND The ruling party, Internal Macedonian COUNTER-TERROR AND SECURITY Revolutionary Organization - Democratic Party The December release of a US Senate for Macedonian National Unity, remained report on CIA secret detention operations in power following parliamentary elections included confirmation that former detainee in May, which were not recognized by the Khaled el-Masri’s 2003 apprehension by main opposition party. Freedom of expression the Macedonian authorities was a case of was increasingly curtailed. The authorities mistaken identity and the CIA took measures exercised excessive influence over the to cover up the incident. The European Court police and judiciary. While the European of Human Rights ruled in a 2013 landmark Commission again recommended that talks judgment that Macedonia was liable for on EU accession should start, in December Khaled el-Masri's incommunicado detention, the EU Council of Ministers for the sixth time enforced disappearance, torture and other ill- deferred the decision. treatment, for his transfer out of Macedonia to Relations between Macedonians and locations where the German national suffered ethnic Albanians remained precarious. In other serious violations of his human rights, May, the arrest of an ethnic Albanian student, and for the failure to carry out an effective suspected of killing a Macedonian student, investigation. triggered two days of inter-ethnic rioting in At the end of the year, the authorities had the Gorce Petrov municipality of Skopje, failed to submit to the Committee of Ministers the capital. an action plan, overdue since October 2013, On 30 June, six ethnic Albanians were to implement the Court’s judgment. convicted - two in their absence - of murder defined as “terrorism” for the killing of five TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT ethnic Macedonians near Lake Smilkovci Allegations against police officials continued, in April 2012, and sentenced to life including disproportionately against Roma. In imprisonment; one defendant was acquitted. May, two Roma minors, wrongly suspected of stealing a purse, were beaten by members 236 Amnesty International Report 2014/15.
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